*ARC provided by the author during Book Expo*
Before I get into the actual review,
an ant crawled into my laptop and I have no idea where it is.
#triggered
OK BACK TO THE REAL THING NOW
I read every new adult/adult romance novel in one sitting, and Miss InstaPrincess is no exception. It was a great read from the beginning till the very end, sending butterflies of “I’m gonna stir your stomach so badly” towards me throughout the entire book, and I am so happy to be able to read this before anyone else did. HAHA.
What I really loved about Miss InstaPrincess is definitely the fact that the author chose to include a little backstory with the characters: it is the main protagonists’ backstories that compose a big part in adult romance novels: without them, you won’t get to see the vulnerability of the characters in order for the attracted-to-each-other couple to truly understand each other.
K.D. Elizabeth also knew how to torture readers from the beginning of the book by already setting off a love-hate relationship: the “i hate you for the first fifty pages or so” was quite funny I must say, but it also created a good ironic feeling because as readers, we know there was more to what the characters, Lena and Travis thought of each other.
As little chemistry as Lena and Travis had at the beginning of the book, Elizabeth set the tone off with a big bang at around sixty pages: a tiny turn of event that no one saw coming, but one so toxic that it could set anyone ablaze. Yes, I’m serious. You’ve got some hot steamy romance coming your way. Kisses are very powerful. The story was well paced throughout the whole book, and despite the fact that we introduced some complications with Lena’s house that involved some really disgusting plumbing stuff, that all add on to the plot to build Lena and Travis’ relationship.
Elizabeth had not forgotten the element of surprise and suspense that are usually seen all over in adult romance novels, and the form of suspense she chose was really quite the thing. Putting it right after she had left the readers smitten over romance, the sudden climax and the fact that the form itself is so unexpected (as it was simply fused together with Lena’s profession, InstaModelling) made it so much more impactful, and the ending is simply to die for.
The fact that Elizabeth chose Instagram was also a very interesting point to talk about: the power of social media and the possible drawbacks behind it. Identities, masks that people are able to put on, whether it is Lena or someone else relevant in this plot that I cannot spoil you about. Putting it together with such a vulnerable story was a good way to address the fact that for some people, social media were ruining their lives, the way it can create a much more lonely environment for those who have risen to the top, only creating more height for them to fall deeply.
And that is also why it was so important for Lena to find Travis, someone to finally lean on, someone to keep her from being alone when all around her has already crumbled. Someone to help her break out of her cycle of life that she already deemed miserable and to finally move on.
Miss InstaPrincess is a wonderful novel with burning romance from beginning till end, the characters left vulnerable for you to all see and listen to their voices as Lena and Travis construct each other’s hearts.